Reports link Oklahoma wages to crime rates, family strain

TULSA, Okla. –

Two new reports are shedding light on the connection between financial hardship and community well-being in Oklahoma. One suggests that raising the state’s minimum wage could help reduce crime, while the other reveals how nearly half of households still struggle to afford basic needs.

Higher wages may lead to less crime

A study from Scioto Analysis found that increasing Oklahoma’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2029 could prevent roughly 7,000 crimes each year. Researchers estimate the change could also save taxpayers about $840 million annually in social costs tied to the justice system and lost productivity.

The report suggests that higher wages lead to more financial stability, which can help reduce economic pressure that contributes to crime.

Families under financial stress

The Tulsa Area United Way released its latest ALICE report — short for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — showing nearly half of Oklahoma households can’t afford basic living costs such as housing, childcare, and transportation, even when working full-time.

TAUW President Allison Anthony says those daily financial struggles can take an emotional toll.

“Are people who aren’t making ends meet automatically going to commit crimes? Absolutely not,” Anthony said. “What we do know is that the constant stress of having to make impossible choices for your family every day does sometimes drive difficult choices and impossible choices,” she said.

Cost of living outpaces wages

Oklahoma’s minimum wage has remained $7.25 an hour since 2009 — unchanged for more than 15 years — while the cost of living has increased by about 50 percent. That gap, researchers say, continues to widen the strain for working families.

The connection between wages and safety

Both reports point to a common theme: when families are stable, communities are safer. Anthony says economic policies that address wage growth and access to essentials can have ripple effects beyond financial relief.

“You might have two parents, both working two jobs and still not making a survivable wage,” she said. “Before we think about blame, we need to think about compassion and empathy — and work together to find solutions,” she said.